The demos I've done so far have been impromptu..."Teach conversation about ________. You have 15 minutes. Begin." Which was off-putting because I wasn't prepared, but at least I had some direction. I was offered positions..so apparently I didn't do poorly.

So, I was hoping some of you veterans could offer some tips about what a hiring committee is looking for during a 'prepared' demonstration of that length? Should I teach conversation? Should I do the first 5 minutes of a sample lesson plan I submitted with my application? Should I bring materials or just keep it simple?

So, I was hoping some of you veterans could offer some tips about what a hiring committee is looking for during a 'prepared' demonstration of that length? Should I teach conversation? Should I do the first 5 minutes of a sample lesson plan I submitted with my application? Should I bring materials or just keep it simple?

Again, thanks for any help.

In those five minutes, I'd try to show them:

1) preparedness (ie. if you've got a lesson plan written out, have it on the desk in front of you, just don't carry it around as you're teaching of course. Is there any structure to your lesson? There should be. Even if it's only five minutes ie. introductory brainstorming, elicitation, using a "hook" etc. and building on those)

2) pedagogy (ie. what specific teaching approaches and skills do you bring to the table? Do you typically incorporate ICT, props etc.? How? So yes, bring in additional materials if appropriate! How do you pace your lessons, check for understanding during the lesson, questioning techniques etc.)

3) personality (ie. don't try to be a "dancing monkey" if that's just not your personality-type. If you are quite funny, charismatic, approachable, do everything you can to convey that to the assessors. They will be able to sense if you're trying to be someone you're not however, so that could be worse. Be yourself, but whatever you do at the very least try to exude the "illusion of confidence," even if you're actually shaking in your boots. The best experienced teachers should not be intimidated by these situations though if you ask me)

Importantly, find out what courses you would be teaching should they hire you. That is how you determine what to include ie. do not prepare a mini lesson in 'conversation,' if you are going to be teaching freshmen courses in 'composition' and 'presentation.' Call to find out these details if you don't know them. If it is a conversation course, select a current and engaging topic for university-aged students (ie. for one interview, I based my demo lesson on "Obama's visit to Korea," as it happened to be the very day of his arrival in Seoul).

So the interview was pretty painless. I took Hajima's advice and used a semi-current conversation topic (using present progressive to discuss New Year's Resolutions). They seemed engaged and asked a lot of questions about the lesson and some 'what if' scenarios.

I was a little nervous. I felt a little unqualified after meeting the 'competition' in the waiting room, but I don't have any regrets. I did my best, and I felt confident due to the advice everyone offered. (Thanks again.) Final decisions will be made this week. I'll report back.

I was a little nervous. I felt a little unqualified after meeting the 'competition' in the waiting room, but I don't have any regrets. I did my best, and I felt confident due to the advice everyone offered. (Thanks again.) Final decisions will be made this week. I'll report back.